Deceit in Bloom (The Love Unauthorized Series Book 1) Read online

  As our kiss grows more intense, a sense of power in taking what I want overcomes me. What I want is to be worshipped by this man. He seems to pick up on my urgency and somehow reads what my body is telling him. He breaks our kiss and flips me on my back, leaving me breathless with the quick motion but also from the sight of him. His chest heaves from the exertion. His eyes look at me like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. His hips press to mine and the thin fabric of his boxer briefs does little to hide the evidence of how turned on he is. I can feel what our connection is doing to him. His eyes travel my body as he lifts the shirt I borrowed from him over my head.

  I’m left before him in my bra and panties. I don’t think it’s my imagination that his excitement grows. Burke lines his body up with mine and takes my bra-covered breasts in his hands with the roughness I crave. With need driving his actions, he unclasps my bra as I arch to help him, and then he pulls the fabric away from my skin, discarding the scrap of lace on the floor. Quickly after, my panties follow.

  Burke grinds himself against me as he takes in the full view of my naked form beneath him. I tug on the waistband of his boxer briefs in an effort to tell him I want them gone from between us. He obliges, lifting to remove them. He stands before me as a picture of masculine beauty. His skin is tanned, which showcases the efforts he puts into taking care of his body. His chest hair is neatly groomed but not overly kempt. His ab muscles are defined in a way that makes me want to run my fingers over them and downward to the sexy V that points to the most impressive part of his body.

  I’ve never had such an overwhelming urge to have someone inside me before. His cock stands at attention, showing me how badly he wants me. The look he gives me lets me know he likes my visual appreciation of his body. Slowly he comes back to join me on his bed and pushes my legs wide, forcing my knees to bend. He bares me completely to him. His hands touch every inch of skin from my ankles to the insides of my thighs, and then his fingers find me already wet for his touch.

  “Fucking perfect. You’re fucking perfect.”

  His voice has a restrained edge that tells me he’s exercising great control in taking his time enjoying his exploration of my body. With both of us unable to wait any longer, I feel the heat of his breath against my skin a second before he licks the length of my pussy. He slowly works upward until he makes contact with my clit, landing there, sucking hard with his mouth while twirling his tongue. From the first touch, I already know this will be the best fuck of my life.

  My hands grip the sheets while he continues his expert torture. “I could die a happy man with your taste on my tongue.” His dirty words are obscured because he doesn’t take his mouth off me while he speaks, which somehow makes them more powerful in their delivery.

  It isn’t long before the tremors take over my body. My toes curl in orgasmic bliss, and though I will them not to move, my hips squirm from the overwhelming feeling taking over. Burke pins my hips down and continues to lick and suck every bit of my overly sensitive sex. His fingers plunge inside, working in tandem as the first scream erupts from my mouth. His fingers are rough as he pulls them in and out of me, pushing my body over the edge. Riding the high, my eyes close as I moan, curse, and come all over his fingers.

  Burke crawls up my body as I try to catch my breath from the mind-blowing orgasm. Panting, he interrupts my already shaky breathing by capturing my lips with his. There is strength in the way he controls the movement. His dominance mixes with the taste of my arousal and creates a powerful combination. Burke breaks the kiss to grab a condom from the nightstand drawer and quickly fixes it in place. Then, he’s back and poised above me. He takes himself in his hand and runs the tip of his cock against my sex. I squirm, my body greedy for what he’s teasing me with. I tilt my hips, begging silently until he relents. Slowly, he pushes inside me, and my body stills. He’s stretching me in ways I’ve never experienced before, delicious ways that I want more than my next breath.

  “Fuck, Paisley. You’re so tight.”

  With slow strokes, he inches his way in and out, going a little deeper each time, until finally, he fills me completely. All sense of the outside world leaves me as he stills, waiting for me to adjust to his size. I don’t want him to wait, so I urge him to move with a thrust of my own hips. Burke grants my wish and slides in and out of me, slow and steady. With each stroke, his pace increases, until it’s almost brutal, and it’s exactly what we both need and want. The movement of my chest, up and down, is exaggerated with each one of his powerful thrusts. His eyes locked on my breasts tell me he’s enjoying the sight.

  Keeping his pace, Burke lowers the upper part of his body and rains harsh kisses on my neck and cleavage. With an open mouth, he bares his teeth against my skin, sometimes with quick nips, while other times he drags them sharply against my delicate skin, creating a brief sting of pain followed by a heightened pleasure.

  “Burke!”

  His name rolls off my tongue with ease as I relish the satisfaction of him inside me. Once again, I feel myself building. Burke moves his hand to my clit as his thrusts become more jagged. We’re both on the precipice of our release. He rubs his fingers against me. I didn’t think it was possible, but he presses into me even harder. My orgasm hits hard as incoherent words tumble from my mouth, praising what he’s doing to me. My body doesn’t even feel like my own anymore as it peaks, and I lose control. Never in my life has sex felt this good before. Never has anything made me feel so wanted and powerful.

  As my orgasm wanes, Burke’s own body spasms, and he climaxes inside me. His strokes slow, but he continues to draw pleasure from my body as he finishes. He collapses on top of me, and with tenderness so opposite from what happened between us, he gently kisses my forehead, and we lie in comfortable silence with one another for a while.

  Burke

  Reasonable sense tells me to distance myself from Paisley as much as possible. I got what I wanted. I know what it’s like to have her fall apart beneath me. There is nothing within me that thinks that distance from her is within my power, because I crave more. I am a noose around her neck, tightening slowly every minute until she chokes with the impending threats upon us all.

  When I heard her cry out in her sleep and watched her restless body panic, I freaked. Something inside me wanted to erase her pain. I couldn’t explain it, but the instinct was there. So, I used my body to fuck her frustrations away. I had never experienced anything like that. The sweet taste of her cunt. The feel of her nails raking down my back. Sliding in and out of her tight pussy. Her eagerness for every harsh thrust. The look on her face while she moaned my name like a prayer. No warm body had ever given me a craving for more like Paisley did. I felt powerful, as if I could conquer anything.

  “Can you take me home?” I turn my face to hers and realize maybe Paisley has more reasonable sense than I do. She’s already looking for an out.

  “I’m not comfortable dropping you off at an apartment where strange men come and go all day when there is someone making threats against us.” She’s still naked in my bed, and if I have my way, she’ll stay here.

  “That’s my home, Burke. I can’t stay here forever, and to be completely honest, I’d rather not be here while whatever happens downstairs happens. Besides, I’m sure my sister is wondering where I am.” Her words are telling me it’s time for her to leave, but her body language tells a different story. She lowers the sheet from her body while leaving her eyes on mine. Her mouth bears a sexy smirk that taunts me. I wouldn’t be sane if I didn’t move toward her scandalous display.

  As I do, she opens her legs slightly, giving me a glimpse of the excitement between them. Her hands roam her own body. Her tits are better than any fantasy I could conjure. They are round and full. Perfect for everything I’d like to do to them. Her nipples peak from her own touch. Or possibly, it’s my watching that is turning her on. I’m going with the latter because it’s what I want to believe.

  “Come here.”

  There is no way sh
e has to ask me twice. Watching is fun, but I’d much rather partake. Climbing over her, I align my body with hers. My hands take over the journey of her skin. Paisley wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me to her for a teasing kiss. Her lips graze mine, and while they are parted, she keeps her tongue locked inside her own mouth, much to my displeasure. With one hand still grasping the back of my neck, she moves the other down between our bodies and wraps her fingers around my cock. Slowly she drags her hand from top to bottom with a firm grasp and then slides it farther to cup my balls. She brings her mouth to my ear, her lips feathering across the skin.

  “Checkmate.”

  I register her words slowly because my brain is fuzzy with her hand currently grasping my balls. The game I initiated with her on the couch. This is her revenge. “Fuck, no! That game was over the moment you let me inside you.”

  An evil laugh rumbles from deep within her chest. She takes advantage of my surprise and rolls from underneath me and off the bed. “Just because I let you fuck me does not mean I’ve forgotten that little stunt you pulled. There is no way I’m going to let you get away with that. Who’s short on self-control now?”

  I lunge at her and tackle her playfully to the floor. Her laugh vibrates her whole body. While I don’t plan on letting her win this round, I take pride in being able to lighten her mood after the dark night and morning we’ve had. With her pinned beneath me, her eyes dance mischievously in her show of victory.

  A pounding at the door interrupts us, her body instantly tensing beneath mine.

  “We’ve got shit to handle downstairs,” Kai yells from the hallway. Glancing at the clock tells me it’s well past eleven in the morning, and he’s probably used all the restraint he has to wait this long to come and get me. Messing around with Paisley is a stupid idea when we have so much to figure out. Yet, I don’t regret one minute of it, even though I should.

  “Your timing couldn’t be worse. I’ll be down in a minute!” Footsteps shuffle away from my door. I lower to kiss Paisley, pinning her hands above her head, leaving her with a reminder of me. A low moan pulls from her throat, and her hands strain against my hold to be released. I pull away from her while keeping my grasp on her wrists.

  “No more touching. I won’t leave this room if your hands touch me again.”

  I rise from the floor and then help Paisley up. Once she’s upright, I smack her ass firmly in jest, a little reprimand for the stunt she pulled while cradling my balls. She lets out a tiny squeal, and it only makes leaving this room harder.

  “I’ll get your clothes from the other room and then we’ll head over to your place.”

  I get Paisley home shortly after, checking to make sure the car from last night is gone and no others are there in its place. Paisley insists she doesn’t need me to walk her in, and I have to physically stop myself from going in anyway. I want to give Braelyn a piece of my mind, but I also understand that I’m not the one who has to share space with the whore. Paisley is in danger because of her connection with me, not because of what Braelyn does. Yet, I’m not intentionally bringing the trouble into my home like Braelyn is. I drive away, high-strung over what I left Paisley to deal with and what I myself have to deal with.

  When I’m finally back, I take a seat in the kitchen with Kai, neither of us speaking as we drink our coffee. I find it funny we’re sitting here so calmly doing something so normal before we go attend to the man we have locked in the office. Funny in the ironic sense, not in the bent over laughing sort of way.

  Teagan is upstairs in her room working on some sketches. I gave her strict orders not to come downstairs until I give her the okay. She didn’t argue.

  “There is something bigger going on.” Kai looks at me from his spot across the table and states the obvious neither of us have voiced.

  “I know. I came to that conclusion the minute that brick came through the window last night.”

  He runs one of his hands over his head and down his face in a frustrated gesture. “Whoever that guy is in there . . . he’s not the person behind this. I’m not even sure he has the answers to give us. He may be able to give us clues, but I doubt he knows the full extent of what’s happening.” Kai looks at the ceiling as if the answers will appear if he focuses hard enough. “He’s someone hired to do the dirty work. What I can’t figure out is what Anthony and this guy are getting out of this. Both of them seem nonchalant about being caught and way too accepting of their deaths. What could someone be promising them or holding over them to get them to volunteer to be killed?”

  I’ve been wondering the same thing, and I can’t even begin to guess at an explanation. “I have no idea. What do you think we should do with him?”

  “We get whatever information we can from him. Take it for what it’s worth since we already know he’s feeding us only what they want us to know. Anything he says could be meant to mislead us. We have to find out what he knows and try to figure out what the truth is on our own. Then, we’ll have to get rid of him, but we need to be more careful. Someone has evidence of our sins, and we don’t need to give them any more ammunition.”

  I nod in agreement. The room is completely silent, and it’s obvious Kai has something else he wants to say. I sit silently until he spits it out.

  “How much does Paisley know?” There it is. Talking about Paisley with him is the last thing I want to do, but I understand he needs confirmation she won’t run to the cops.

  “She knows everything. She pretty much knew everything by looking at those photos but without our side of the story. I figured my only option was to give her the full picture.”

  His eyebrows draw inward as I assume his brain fills with questions. The one I expect rolls off his tongue next. “So . . . she knows you killed a man? She knows I disposed of the body, and not only did she not run from this house last night screaming but she slept peacefully in your bed? What was it I interrupted this morning, innocent pillow talk?”

  “She understands. She doesn’t like it, but she understands. She won’t turn us in.” I ignore his last question because he’s subtly asking me if I fucked her. For some reason the normal locker room type guy talk doesn’t feel right. What happened behind closed doors this morning is between Paisley and I. Plus, it isn’t any of his fucking business anyway. Kai remains quiet for a beat. This situation is making him nervous. There are so many loose wires that eventually we’re bound to get tangled in at least one.

  “You know being involved with her in any way is putting her in danger, right?”

  Kai is batting a thousand in stating the obvious. It’s more complicated than that.

  “Yeah, I know. But I’m a little damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Wouldn’t you say? She’s already involved. What happened last night brought her into it more than either of us would like. Even if I stay away from her, I can’t be sure someone won’t come after her, and in that scenario she’s without my protection.”

  “You don’t want to stay away from her either, do you? She your vengeance?” Kai’s mom was a dreamer. A romantic. Despite marrying a monster, she told tales of love to Kai as bedtime stories. As children, she used to tell us the world would work against us, but that we needed to push back to win. She used to call falling in real love man’s vengeance against the world.

  “She’s not like anything I’ve known before.” Without either of us needing to say any more, we abandon our empty coffee cups, leave the table, and head to the office.

  Paisley

  Braelyn is practically waiting by the door for me when I come in. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d been watching out the window and saw Burke drop me off. She’s more worked up than I’ve ever seen her.

  “Where in the hell have you been?”

  “At Teagan’s.” This isn’t a lie. I was at Teagan’s, but I think it’s hardly the truthful response when I slept in Burke’s bed, opened up to him about things I’ve never told anyone, and then let him fuck me senseless. If she’s reacting this way from the thought of m
e at Burke’s, then without question I won’t tell her about the rest of the drama. Oh, and hey, while I was there I found out someone has been following and taking photos of me when some creep threw a brick through the window. Don’t worry, he didn’t get away, and I think Burke and Kai killed him, but your points are totally invalid. That makes me sound like a crazy person for fighting her on this, and I don’t want to add fuel to the fire where her fight to keep me away from Burke is concerned. Damn, hearing that thought filter through my mind makes me wonder if I might actually belong in a straitjacket.

  “At Teagan’s? At Teagan’s? You mean at Burke’s! Because it’s one and the same. The look on your face tells me your night wasn’t a slumber party filled with face masks and gossip, but rather with you being fucked like a trashy whore!”

  Hello, Pot. Meet Kettle.

  “I’ve had a long night, Braelyn. I don’t want to get into this.”

  Brae currently looks like a deranged person. Her hands are shaking. There are dark circles under her eyes that stand out in great contrast to her light skin tone. Those circles tell me she must have been up much of the night. She seems cagey, ready to fly off the handle. I’ve seen this before. Not in her, but with others. Especially with my prime example, the man we ran from all those years ago, our foster dad. I always hated that title. He was in no way a father figure to us. We simply called him “Joe” on a good day and much worse on the bad days.

  Joe was an addict. He’d swallow, snort, smoke, or inject anything he could get his hands on. The way Braelyn is acting and the change in her appearance is reminiscent of Joe on the days he was anxious for a fix. Those were the worst days to be in that house. He’d become blind with rage and unreasonably violent. One time he came home late, unable to score, and woke me up by slamming a television tray into my stomach repeatedly. He screamed like a man unhinged about the living room being a mess and then simply left the room while I laid there, unable to move in my bed from the pain of the surprise attack.